Looking at the changing face of cancer in America

Beverly Majors | beverly.majors@oakridger.com

Thursday

Mar 22, 2012 at 12:01 AMMar 22, 2012 at 10:23 PM

Cancer-related deaths in this country are declining slowly but surely, according to the annual "Cancer Facts and Figures" report recently released by the American Cancer Society. Between 2004 and 2008, cancer deaths fell almost 2 percent per year in American men and approximately 1.5 percent per year in American women. The only racial and ethnic groups that did not experience improvements were Native Americans (American Indians) and Alaska natives.

Cancer-related deaths in this country are declining slowly but surely, according to the annual "Cancer Facts and Figures" report recently released by the American Cancer Society. Between 2004 and 2008, cancer deaths fell almost 2 percent per year in American men and approximately 1.5 percent per year in American women. The only racial and ethnic groups that did not experience improvements were Native Americans (American Indians) and Alaska natives.

“From 1990 through 2008, cancer-related death rates dropped almost 23 percent for men and more than 15 percent for women. The decline in men's cancer rates was fueled by a steady decrease in the number of men who died of lung cancer. For women, the decline was fueled by fewer deaths related to breast cancer," noted Thomas Repine, M.D., a board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist on the staff of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. "These rates translate to approximately 1 million Americans who did not die of cancer-related deaths since 1990."

Repine earned a medical degree from the Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He completed internal medicine internship and residency and a hematology/oncology fellowship at Ft. Sam Houston in Texas. Repine is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology. He is a member of the American Medical Association, National Association of Doctors, American College of Physicians, American Society of Hematology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.

“Some of the largest reductions in cancer death rates came in some of the biggest cancer killers including lung, breast, colon and prostate cancers," he said.

The Numbers

1 million = cancer-related deaths prevented in the U.S. since the early 1990s

1.8 percent = annual decline in cancer death rate for American men

1.6 percent = annual decline in cancer death rate for American women

23 percent = amount that cancer rate has fallen, overall, for men since the early 1990s

15 percent = amount that cancer rate has fallen, overall, for women since the early 1990s

2.5 and 2.6 percent = percentages that cancer rates have declined each year since 1998 for Hispanic and black men. (This is the greatest decline among all demographic groups.)

Repine said the decrease in lung cancer deaths is due, in part, to American men smoking less or giving up smoking altogether. He attributes the drop in breast cancer deaths, in part, to the increased use of mammography as a screening tool and to less use of hormone treatment for menopause. In both cases, he also cites the importance of early detection by sophisticated screening techniques and technologies, along with advances in treatment. Death rates for colon and prostate cancers also have declined, and Repine attributes the improvement to prevention, early detection, and advances in treatment to the improvements in those areas.

His advice to American adults is, "Be proactive about your health. Have cancer screenings as recommended by your doctor, and make a healthy diet and exercise part of your routine."

Troubling Trends

Not all of the news is good, however. "In the past decade, we have seen some troubling trends, as the number of cancers of the pancreas, liver, thyroid, kidney, skin and esophagus and cancers related to the HPV virus has increased. Fortunately, we can take steps to bring those numbers down. More of us can follow our doctors' recommendations for having colonoscopies, stop smoking, and receive vaccinations for HPV and hepatitis, and more women can have mammograms," Repine said.

Looking Ahead

Each year, the American Cancer Society estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths in the nation in the current year. It also compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival based on data from the National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For 2012, the society predicts that about 1.6 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and about 577,000 Americans will die because of cancer. Death rates for the four major cancer sites (lungs, colon, breast and prostate) will decline, cancer diagnoses and death rates will continue to vary among ethnic and cultural groups, and African-Americans will continue to have a poorer survival rate than Caucasians when they receive a diagnosis of cancer.

“The key word is "predicts." The predictions are not written in stone," Repine said. "In some cases, it is not too late for people to prevent cancer or detect problems and begin treatment at an early stage of the disease."

To learn more about cancer, call 1-800-468-6767 or go online to www.mmcoakridge.com and click on the "Health Information Library" in the left-hand column. To see the American Cancer Society's most current report, go online to www.cancer.org and search for "Cancer Facts & Figures 2009.”

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